Carry On My Wayward Sons and Daughters
by jackholt07
Summary: Katherine enlists the help of the newly vampire Elena as they attempt to recue the original Petrova doppleganger Tatia, who is on the run from two hunters, Sam and Dean Winchester, who met Tatia in New Orleans after tracking a vampire coven in the area.
1. The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Chapter One

Elena stood staring at the cryptic text message she had gotten earlier that day," Be under the stone bridge at 2 o'clock for an offer of a lifetime." Unknown number, unknown sender, unknown reason for excitement to be singing through her veins. Perhaps it is Damon, she thought, deciding that he didn't care about what Stefan said about the sire bond, and that he believed her when she said everything she feels for him is real. But why would he be so mysterious and want to me outside of town, she wondered as she paced back and forth. She was quickly consumed by the thought of Damon and what she would greedily accept should he as much as hint at the idea. She remembered the way it felt for him to hold her as they danced to the sound of their nervous breaths with the fire illuminating Damon's and her eyes as the passion of the moment consumed them both after the kiss. She was so lost in her fantasies that she didn't hear the sound of heeled boots quickly approaching until her Doppelgänger was standing behind her smirking. "Which Salvatore brother is that grin for?" she asked. Elena felt her face flush for a moment before narrowing her gaze at the she devil before her. "Katherine. I'd say it was nice to see you but we both know that where you go there is always some big bad chasing you. What are you running from this time?" Elena asked cocking her head to her side trying to appear more confident and less curious as to what would posses Katherine to come to her with an offer. Katherine raised her eyes a fraction, still trying to get a read on the vampire version of Elena, she could tell she was stronger than her human shell but she could still feel the quiver of fear in Elena's voice that let her know she had the upper hand. "Relax, sweetie I come bearing gifts. Do you remember the story of the original Petrova doppelgänger?" she paused long enough to see Elena nod that she had, "Good. Well rumor has it she's in New York and in need of assistance; she's being hunted by two brothers." Elena let Katherine's words sink in, Tatia was alive, and she was in trouble. Tatia, the girl who is the reason Katherine and herself existed, Tatia the girl who is the reason Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Elijah and Klaus are who they are, Tatia the girl whose blood created vampires in the very beginning. "I don't understand what is it you want me to do?" she asked shaking her head as Katherine's face lifted into a grin that would put Lewis Carroll's Cheshire cat to shame. "Want to go on an adventure my dear Elena? We have another doppelgänger to find."


	2. Highway to Hell

"Tell me what we got Sammy," Dean asked as he drove down the highway, no matter how many times he tried to forget about the brunette vampire that had crossed their paths earlier that summer she always seemed to creep back into his thoughts. "There's no one fitting her description in missing persons and 'Tatia Petrova' isn't showing up in any other records", Sam answered looking at his notes, "it's like she doesn't exist at all". Dean shook his head, how many times have they hunted things that didn't exist? "Well she' a goddamn vampire Sam, she's probably older than she looks," dean snapped at his brother, is frustration building with every mile the drive towards New York. _How could I have been so stupid?_ Dean thought, _I should've been able to see it._ She had seemed so normal, so kind, he thought as the memory of their first meeting flashed in his mind. The Winchesters were hunting a clan of vampires in New Orleans when they had first crossed paths with the mysterious girl. The locals kept quiet about what was happening and the town, and the witches avoided their questions at all costs. It wasn't until they saw a girl walking towards them down Bourbon Street that things finally got interesting. "Are you of the Five?" she asked, her eyebrow lifting and her gaze drifting over both brothers as if seeing directly into their souls. "The Five?" Sam asked looking at Dean who shrugged, not knowing who "The Five" where either. Sam pulled out his badge hoping that the woman would give them something to help find the vampires if she thought they were a part of the law enforcement. "I'm afraid not, we're FBI. I'm Agent Scott and my partner Agent Young, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the animal attacks that have been going on outside of town, do you miss?" Sam asked. She smiled a sweet smile as she looked down at the pavement taking a moment before she looked at them over her black lashes. "Please call me Tatia". The memory snapped shut and Dean was pulled back to the present when he realized Sam had been talking to him. He didn't hear all that he was saying while he was down memory lane, but what he did hear was what he hoped more than anything was true. "We'll find her Dean. We always do."


	3. Wanted Dead or Alive

"So tell me about them," Elena asked Katherine as they drove across the New York state line. It had been a quiet trip so far, both girls had been playing nice to avoid killing the other and losing any chance of saving Tatia. "Stefan likes it when-" Katherine began before Elena quickly cut her off. "Don't start Katherine. Tatia. The Winchesters. What are they? What do they want from Tatia?" Elena asked as Katherine smirked and cocked her head to the side, her eyes still focused on the road. "I know as much as you do about Tatia, the original Petrova whose blood was used to make vampires," Katherine said turning to look at Elena. "She also has the lovely ability to make two brothers fall head over heels in love with her. A trait we all share apparently," she added bitterly, turning away. "And the Winchester's?" Elena inquired, trying to forget about the last thing Katherine said, she couldn't think about how each of them had had similar luck with love triangles. "They're brothers that hunt down and kill the things that go bump in the night. Vampires, witches, ect ect," Katherine said waving her hand in the air. "So what, do they want to use her blood to curse someone or just to kill her I don't understand," Elena said shaking her head trying to figure out what the Winchesters endgame was. "How should I know? All I have is that these pathetic humans want her," Katherine said, quickly losing patience with the girl sharing her face. _God I hope Tatia isn't this whiney, _she thought_, there is no way I can put up with two of them._ "Humans?" Elena asked confusion clouding her face. "Why doesn't she just compel them to forget about her or just..." she said, her voice trailing off, she didn't like to think about how easy it is for vampires to bury anyone who gets in their way. "Kill them?" Katherine asked, amused and a little annoyed at how her doppelgänger couldn't speak the words that defined what it is to be a vampire. _Hunt, feed, kill_. Those traits where the primal characteristics of the children of the damned, and Katherine hoped that Elena would realize this soon, before she went up against hunters that wouldn't hesitate to kill her. "I'm not sure. But one thing I do know is," Katherine said, the reflection of oncoming headlights making her eyes glow with fierce determination, "the Winchesters won't be a problem."


	4. Miss Nothing

It had been three days since Elena decided to join Katherine on the trip to save the original Petrova doppelganger. She had been ignoring panicked phone calls and messages from her friends, brother, and Damon, only answering once to let them know she was alive and that they needn't worry. It hurt her to lie to them but she knew it was the only way to protect them against the Winchester brothers and perhaps even Tatia herself. "How are we ever going to find her in a city like this?" Elena asked as she followed her doppelgänger through the crowd of people on the sidewalk. "I don't know, try looking for someone wearing your face, I've learned that does the trick," Katherine said growing more impatient with the younger girl. _I might just have to sacrifice her to the Winchester's, _she thought, _they want a dead Petrova, and I want a dead Elena, what was that saying about two birds?_ she mused smiling to herself. "Where's all that confidence you had when we started this trip my dear Elena? Gone so soon?" Katherine teased as she turned to face the other girl. "No but- I mean, you've told me nothing I don't know what these hunters look like or where they are, we have zero leads as to how we can even find Tatia, so excuse me if I'm not optimistic" Elena shouted, her voice raising in volume with each obstacle she mentioned. The fact that this girl was still acting so helpless and weak even after becoming a vampire, and questioning the decision to help save the woman who was the reason they were both alive and able to have this conversation was what caused Katherine to snap. "I have been running from Klaus for centuries, I have kept tabs on Stefan and Damon, and I have been known to come in handy when there are problems in Mystic Falls. I don't need your optimism but I need your cooperation. Got it?" Katherine asked as she stood eye to eye with Elena, challenging her to provoke a fight between them that Katherine was sure she would win. "I-, "Elena started looking around trying to find the right words, "I haven't done anything like this. I don't even know if I can. I'm hunting humans and just a few weeks ago I was one and I guess I," she said, her voice shaking with uncertainty before taking a breath and pulling herself together. "Fine," Elena said nodding her head in agreement, "I'll try to do better. For Tatia. Besides," she said as Katherine looked at her with mild curiosity for her change of heart, "I might just learn to like my Winchester's medium-rare"


	5. The Downfall of Us All

A rumble then a few loud pops was all it took for Dean to realize his baby was in trouble. After telling Sam to pull off into a gas station, Dean quickly found himself under the hood of his beloved Impala. He looked around trying to figure out what had caused the problem and came up dry, turning to Sam for help. After an hour neither brother could come up with a solution as to how to get their car started again. "This just doesn't make any sense," Sam said still staring at the engine, "when has the car ever done something like this?" Dean was too preoccupied, thinking about Tatia again, to even hear his brother or put much effort into bring the car back to life. "You know what I don't understand?" Dean asked his younger brother, "Why didn't she just kill us? She had plenty of opportunities and she's a bloodsucker for Christ sake. Jesus Sam, how could we have let her slip away?" Dean asked shaking his head and staring off into the distance.

_Call me. Now_. Elena read that message over and over again practically feeling Damon's frustration with her. She played around with the idea of calling him while Katherine went compelling her way through the outskirts of the city trying to find usable information. She wanted to call Damon, to assure him that everything was alright, to hear his voice, she thought a smile forming on her face as she thought of Damon's voice and just Damon in general. She was just about to hit the call button when her super human hearing alerted her to the two men sitting across the street. _"... and she's a bloodsucker for Christ's sake..." Elena could hardly believe it, bloodsucker?_ she thought_, and it's two men, could they really be the Winchester's? _After getting over her initial shock of stumbling into the path of the infamous hunters, Elena hid behind a delivery truck trying to see if they would lead her to Tatia.

"Dean why are you obsessing over this one vampire?" Sam asked, not understanding that out of every creature they have faced, that this one girl had made such an impact on his brother. "I don't know what it is Sam, it's just-" he started, not being able to come up with the right words, "she seemed so normal, she had me completely fooled, we've been doing this for how many years now, and I let her get past me." Dean said, with his voice rising with his frustration. Something moved in his peripheral vision and he turned his head thinking he saw a girl with brown hair behind a delivery truck. Shaking his head to clear his troubled mind and hallucinations he turned to look at his brother. "Let's just get something to eat Sammy."


	6. Loaded Weapon

Katherine spent most of her afternoon away from the annoying Elena. She had compelled herself allies and most likely made a new enemy in the witch she hired to hex the hunters. _Why must witches be total bit_- she started before she heard a man yelling. _"Dean why are you obsessing over one vampire?"_ Katherine smiled, reminding herself to thank the witch later, as she noticed the vintage car's apparent engine trouble. As she listened in she caught visible signs of anger and desperation in the man, Dean, sitting on a cooler as he voiced his frustration over losing Tatia. After his confession of embarrassment of allowing her to disappear, a point Katherine prided herself with as she had her ancestor to thank for being able to slip away on a moment's notice, both she and Dean turned at the sight of something moving behind a delivery truck. _Damn it, Elena,_ she swore, cursing herself for leaving the stupid girl alone long enough to be so careless and allow herself to be seen. She couldn't tell if Dean and the other boy, Sam, had seen Elena, and when they started walking towards the truck where Elena hid, Katherine didn't hesitate. She darted from the alleyway and struck the taller boy knocking him to the ground. She smelled the blood pouring from his nose before she saw it. She smiled in satisfaction over her dominance, and sent a warning glance at Elena to stay put, but it was when she prepared to deliver the death blow that she was stabbed from behind in her neck. She spun to face her attacker when a strange feeling came over her, her vision was blurring and her mind was cloudy. _This can't be vervain,_ she thought, desperately trying to regain control of her body in order to survive, _This can't be vervain. No, I drink vervain, this can't be happening_. "Wha- what is this?" she asked as she collapsed to the ground. Dean helped his brother up before turning to stare at the girl who was struggling to control herself, but still managing to give him a death glare. He couldn't believe his luck and couldn't hide his shock of the realization that Tatia attacked them. So with a glare matching that of the stunned vampire he regained his composure and with venom in his voice her answered her question. "Dead Man's Blood. Got you, Bitch"


	7. Miss Murder

"You alright there Sam?" Dean asked as Sam wiped the blood off his face using napkins leftover from their dinner the night before. Sam nodded before turning to look at who he believed was Tatia sitting on the ground. She was beginning to regain control of her body, a hell of a lot faster than the other vampires they faced had, and she was definitely pissed. He had never thought he would see such anger on a face that was usually so bright and always had a sense of kindness in her eyes. "Dean we have to move somewhere a little more private to have any sort of conversation with her," Sam said looking around for a nearby hotel or something that would allow them to torture information out of the vampire that sat before them. "Must we do this in private?" Katherine, pretending to be Tatia, asked the boys. "I can be pleasant and more importantly cooperative somewhere more public." Dean and his brother shared a look, both knew that Tatia wasn't violent, and they were confused as to why she would even attack them in the street if she was willing to talk to them at all. With an exasperated sigh, Dean agreed and after a few moments, when Katherine could stand on her own they headed over to the diner across the street. Passing the spot where Katherine knew Elena hid, she shot her a warning glance that should keep the other girl from ruining her plans for the brothers. They were seated immediately and sat in silence as each side of the booth took in the other. Katherine, studying the two boys trying to figure out their dynamic and figuring out which is the weak link that she could break later, and Sam and Dean, still trying to comprehend the attack that happened in the parking lot.

"What can I get you to start dears?" the old waitress asked looking at Katherine first. "Water would be lovely, thank you," she said her voice dripping with sweetness that is usually heard out of Elena's mouth. Sam and Dean ordered coffees and they all waited in silence until the waitress brought them their drinks and then hurried off to a nearby table. "Do you have anything to say?" Dean asked roughly, glaring at Katherine as if he was about to jump over the table and strangle her right there in front of everyone. "Me? I thought this was your interrogation, but if it's not I'll just be on my way," Katherine countered as kind as before, as she stood preparing to leave. Dean grabbed her arm and showed her the old Colt sitting on his lap. She hesitated for a moment not sure what the guns relevance was but knowing that there must be a reason he thought it would scare Tatia so she sat back down. "What are you doing here, Tatia?" Sam asked quietly, like he was afraid of her answer. Katherine sighed appearing bored, "Shopping, dancing, drinking my friends. Whoops," she laughed covering her mouth, "I meant with my friends," she finished with a knowing smirk folding her arms over her chest. "Dean I-" Sam started before his brother cut him off. "Listen, what the hell is wrong with you? In New Orleans you wouldn't hurt a fly and now here you are making jokes about killing innocent people?" Dean asked leaning closer to the vampire. "No such creature," Katherine replied instantly leaning forward as well. "Dean," Sam tried again but still wasn't heard over his brother's anger. "What kind of game are you playing at?" Dean asked refusing to look away from her gaze. "One I've never lost, it's a shame you will though, we could've had so much fun together," she said in a suggestive tone while running her finger down his arm. "DEAN" Sam said, finally getting his brother to look at him. "I don't exactly know how but I, I don't think that's Tatia" he said staring at the girl across from them as her face lifted into a smile that was truly terrifying. "Aren't you two adorable?" she said right before all hell broke loose.


	8. That Girl is a Goddamn Problem

The moment Katherine stopped speaking, the people in the diner lunged at Sam and Dean, knocking them out of the booth and onto the ground where the crowd continued to attack. Katherine smiled while looking down at the carnage below her and reached for the gun Dean was so happy to threaten her with. "Thanks sugar," she said as she walked out of the diner, meeting Elena, who was staring in the front window. "What happened? Why are those people attacking them? Shouldn't we do something?" Elena asked running after Katherine as she headed for the car. "I compelled about half the town this afternoon in case things got a little dicey, which they did, and now everything is being taken care of," Katherine answered inspecting the gun. Nothing too special, she mused, just a regular gun with bullets that looked a little strange but nothing that should do too much damage to a vampire. "And Tatia? What did they say about her?" Elena asked annoyed that Katherine was inspecting a gun like it was a limited edition from Michael Kors. "Nothing. They thought I was Tatia. Or at least Dean did." Katherine answered sticking the gun on her waist behind her shirt for safe keeping, she couldn't be sure how harmful it was to vampires, but guns are always harmful to humans one way of another. "What are you part of the mob now? What's with the gun?" Elena demanded, furious that her doppelgänger wasn't just giving her a play by play of the afternoon's events and save her the trouble of asking and ultimately annoying her. "Dean threatened me with it so I figured it was important. Come on let's look through their car, they should be busy for a while," Katherine said walking across the street where the vintage impala sat. It was unlocked, which saved the girls from having to bust out a window, and in the glove compartment sat files that held the information they had been looking for.

_"Three dead from supposed animal attack"_ read the headline in Elena's hands. As she tore the clipping away from the file to read it closer, a slip of paper fell out. Catching it mid-air, Elena was surprised when she saw that it contained a phone number and the name she had been hoping for. "Katherine, look," Elena said holding the note up to Katherine as she was inspecting the driver's side door. Katherine looked up to see "_Tatia 555-0731"_ and she smiled, "So great grams got herself a cell phone," she said snatching the paper from Elena's hands. "What are the odds that it still works?" Elena asked putting the file back and leaning against the car opposite to where Katherine stood. "Well, my dear Elena the Winchester's tracked her here somehow right? They followed her, we followed them, maybe this is how," she beamed at the tiny slip of paper as it lay in her hands. The moment of accomplishment was short lived however because no sooner had she finished speaking, did she detect the voices of an angry Sam and Dean headed their way.

"Damn it Sammy, what the hell? How many of them are there if that wasn't Tatia?" Dean swore at Sam as they rushed to the car. "I don't know Dean, it was something about her eyes, everything about her was just off," Sam answered, despite being taller, he found himself having to speed up in order to catch up to his brother. Dean couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at his car to find Tatia standing there smiling at a piece of paper in her hands. "If you touch my car I'll kill you, you psychotic bitch," he yelled increasing his speed as Sam tried to catch up to him.

Upon hearing footsteps and Dean's cursing Katherine forced Elena into the alleyway. "Stay out of sight do you her me?" she asked still standing by the Impala. "They can't know that there are three of us," she said shutting the door keeping her eyes on the road as Dean ran towards her yelling insults and threats. She wanted more than anything to wreck his beloved car just to piss him off further, but she decided against it. With a quick curtsey paired with a smile which mirrored that of Lucifer seconds before he fell from heaven, she blew the boys a kiss before running off with Elena right behind her,


	9. How Far We've Come

"555-0731," Elena said as she dialed the number. After she and Katherine ran through the alley and back to their car they decided to lay low for the night at a hotel just down the road. Katherine stood against the wall with her arms crossed, and Elena couldn't help but feel self-conscious as the phone rang. "There's no one there Katherine, I told yo-," Elena said still holding the phone to her ear, when she heard a female voice on the other end pick up, "Hello?". Elena yelled and hung up the phone as Katherine ran to her side. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you just hang up on her?" Katherine demanded grabbing the phone from Elena's hands as the younger girl started apologizing over and over. "I panicked. I'm so sorry. Katherine really I am. Do you think it was her?" Elena asked, subconsciously folding her hands in front of her face in what looked like a silent prayer. "How am I supposed to know, like I said you hung up on her," Katherine shouted as she furiously redialed the number and placed the phone to her ear pacing about the room. "Hello?" someone said through the phone. "Hello, can I ask you this is?" Katherine said turning to look at Elena whose eyes were as big as saucers as she used her vampire hearing to listen in. "Sweetie I believe you called me. Twice."

Katherine blinked, still holding the phone to her ear, still not answering the woman on the phone. Paralyzed with fear and anticipation that the girl would be, in fact the Tatia Petrova she had been looking for long before this trip even began. "This is Katerina Petrova," she said, holding her breath waiting for a response. The seconds ticked by, but to Elena and Katherine it might as well have been centuries. "It is a pleasure to finally speak to you my dear Katerina, I take it that since you are calling me you already know who I am," the woman answered, a smile heard in her voice as she confirmed their suspicions. "Tatia," Katherine said, her voice so quiet it came out as a whisper, "can you-can you meet with us? We are staying at a hotel just outside of town but we can go somewhere else, anywhere else to see you," she finished smiling and with tears in her eyes. "Us?" Tatia asked Katherine after a moment's hesitation. "Yes, us, I mean me and Elena, my doppleganger," Katherine said quickly, terrified of scaring off Tatia and losing the opportunity to meet with her. "Elena," Tatia said happily, "so she made it off the bridge after all." Katherine shot Elena a look, as the younger girl sat on the bed with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open in shock. "Yes, she did. She's right here, we're all right here," Katherine said sitting next to Elena, and for the first time in a long time, she took Elena's hand and squeezed it in order to provide a mutual sense of comfort and understanding. Elena looked at her hand, held by someone she once considered an enemy, as she took a breath and placed her own on top of Katherine's, and as the girls heard, "I'll see you both soon," all they could do was sit together and wait.


	10. Light Em' Up

"I'm going to kill her," Dean said as he pulled up to the hotel to rest, before heading off to face not one but two brunette vampires. "Which one?" Sam asked looking at Dean, concern written all over his face as he watched his brother spiral towards madness over these two women. "What?" Dean asked, confused at first before answering, "Oh ah both. I'm going to kill them both. Definitely the broad who had a diner full of people attack us so she could screw around with my car." Dean said cutting the engine and heading off to pay for a room, leaving Sam sitting in the Impala. As he sat, he couldn't help but think back to what drove both him and his brother to this point, chasing after a girl he had once trusted.

_"Kill first ask questions later, is that what you're telling me?" Tatia asked Dean as they stood outside an abandoned factory. The brothers had headed there trying to flush out any vampires that could have been nesting there, and instead found Tatia, and seeing the arsenal they carried with them she quickly put the pieces together. "I'm sorry, we didn't expect you or anyone else human to be here" Sam said. "And why not?" Tatia asked folding her arms over her chest tapping her foot impatiently. "Well we um," Sam started lowering his gun, "we hunt demons, monsters, anything really that's supernatural. I know it's hard to believe but you have to trust us, we're the good guys here," he finished holding his arms out in a form of surrender. "What if they are innocent, peaceful, what then?" she asked her eyes lowering a moment before looking at Dean. "No such creature if you ask me," Dean said throwing the barrel of his shotgun so it was resting on his shoulder. "By the way what's a pretty girl like you doing walking around abandon buildings at night?" Dean asked. "Following you. It's not safe here for people like you, hunter's and the like. Things are changing and there is a war coming for those hungry to control a place like this. A place where magic thrives and the monsters told to children walk like men here. This town was built by such creature, older than anything you've ever faced, and if my allies are right he will return and who knows how much blood will be shed in order for him to reclaim his title?" Tatia said as though she were revealing a prophecy long lost to the world. _

_"Isn't that all the more reason to stay? To kill this guy before her can kill all of these people?" Sam said taking a hesitant step towards her. "Sam," Dean said roughly, stopping Sam in his tracks before Dean pulled him back behind him as he walked towards Tatia so they were standing eye to eye. "How exactly do you know all this?" Dean asked secretly pulling the handgun out from behind his back, never taking his eyes off the girl before him. "Because I am the reason he has lived this long to do it," she said her eyes darkening and black veins appearing below them as she barred her teeth is a venomous growl. Dean stared, wide-eyed as her beautiful features transformed into that of a striking vampire unlike any he has seen. In that moment's hesitation, Tatia spun lightning fast behind him grabbing the handgun from his hand and tossing the shotgun into the woods as she threw Dean backwards and on top of Sam. Recovering quickly, Dean, still half on top of Sam, looked up and saw Tatia standing over him with his gun pointed at his head. "Get out of town now," she said perfectly calm despite the attack she had just orchestrated against them. "I'll kill you I swear to God I will," Dean answered. Tatia smiled for a moment her features returning to the beautiful woman she was before. "Get out of town now," she said again before pulling the trigger, the bullet hitting the ground right in between both his and Sam's face, "or next time I won't miss."_


	11. Faceless

"Alright we are in room 108," Dean said as he returned to the car and a zoned out Sam. "Hello? Sammy? Hey snap out of it," Dean said snapping his fingers in front of Sam's face to bring him out of a daze, "we need to keep our guard up." Pulling himself back to the present, Sam got out of the car and walked around to the trunk where Dean was grabbing their duffle bag of clothes and various weapons. The motel room was nothing special Sam noticed, just like every other one they've stayed in since Dean broke into his home looking for his help to find their father all those years ago. "Sounds like we have neighbors," Sam said upon hearing the muffled sound of women's voices that could be heard through the thin walls. "Dean we need a plan, we were caught off guard when we were with Tatia, and we were caught off guard when we met her twin, or whatever she was," Sam said as he sat on the twin bed opposite of Dean. "How did you know it wasn't her Sammy? And don't give me that crap about her eyes." Dean answered leaning forward on his elbows, his voice similar to that of an officer during an interrogation. "Sam sighed trying to put words to the feeling he had when talking to the other girl. "I don't know Dean it's just, Tatia had the jump on us twice and didn't do anything," Sam started leaning forward matching Dean's posture. "She pulled a gun on us Sam, my gun," Dean answered his voice rising. "I know Dean, but listen," Sam started trying to reason with his brother and calm him down, "she only attacked us when she was trying to get us to leave town for our own protection, why ask us to leave if she wanted us dead anyway?" Sam asked. Dean sat there for a moment trying to piece it all together, Sam was right of course, Tatia tried to reason with them and get them to understand how dangerous New Orleans was going to become. Whereas the other woman spoke with venomous sarcasm as she talked around the conversation playing games with them. After a sigh of his own Dean looked to his brother, "Think of a plan Sammy," Dean said standing up and walking towards the door leading to the back parking lot, "I'm going to get some ice, I have a feeling this is going to be a long night and I can use some cold beer."

"She's coming here, I can't believe it I just can't! Tatia Petrova is going to be sitting in this room!" Elena exclaimed, her excitement evident in her voice and smile as she paced about the room trying to keep herself busy so she didn't explode before Tatia got there. "I don't remember you being this excited to meet me," Katherine mused as she sat by the window looking over the back parking lot, her breath catching every time she saw headlights getting closer only to be disapponted when they sped off. "Maybe that's because you're the psychotic bitch who turned Stefan and Damon into vampires and tried to kill John the second you got into town," Elena answered her good mood dimming slightly at the memory of finding John lying there in the kitchen. She waited for a sarcastic response from Katherine, but instead was met with a "shit happens" shrug. "What do you think she'll be like?" Elena asked leaning against the wall next to the window opposite Katherine watching the silhouette of a man load ice into a cooler. "I bet she looks like us," Katherine answered inspecting her manicured nails trying to keep her mind at bay as it was already busy with her own questions. "Yeah, I bet" Elena answered giving up on trying to get through Katherine's emotional fortress, whatever moment they had while on the phone with Tatia ended the second the call itself did. She didn't have to wait long, because this time when headlights approached the hotel, they stopped.


	12. Bruises and Bitemarks

"Dean, Dean, Dean, what have you gotten yourself into now?" Dean asked himself as he stopped in front of the ice machine. He was thinking of ways to find Tatia, whether he wanted to make good on his promise and kill her or get information out of her about New Orleans and her secret twin, he wasn't sure. A car pulled up behind him as he finished filling up the small cooler and he turned just in time to see the driver, a brunette woman who looked exactly like the woman who had been haunting his thoughts since she nearly shot him. "You have got to be kidding me," he said throwing down the cooler to reach for the gun in his waist, before remembering it was no longer there. The girl looked at him with wide eyes and opened her mouth to speak before Dean felt something hit his head and the world went black.

"_What are we going to do with him?" "What the hell is this, some kind of ambush?" "No of course not, we didn't even know they were here." _Dean kept his eyes shut, for fear that if he opened them he would lose the pie he had eaten earlier, and whoever had knocked him out was going to be in serious trouble if they made him get sick and forever ruin his love for pie. The girls kept fighting, he couldn't tell how many there were and to be honest it sounded like it was just one woman speaking with multiple personalities. After waiting a few seconds more he opened his eyes to three identical women standing over him. "Damn I'm seeing triple. Which one of you hit me?" Dean asked struggling to stand, quickly realizing he was handcuffed to a radiator, "And who cuffed me?" Two of the girls looked at the woman on the left, standing with her arms crossed in front of her and a triumphant smile upon her face. "Why did you have handcuffs in your purse again?" the middle woman asked only to be met by the mirror image of both girls who flanked her turning to give her a "duh" look. "God you're so vanilla," the left one answered rolling her eyes. "Hush, both of you," answered the one on the right. "You," Dean said motioning to the left, "are the bitch you got my brother and I attacked at the diner." She shrugged, answering, "I prefer Katherine" before sitting on top of the dresser. "I call her bitch so either works," the middle one said before being met with a glare by the woman Dean could finally tell was Tatia, "I said hush". "So triplet vampires, I gotta say ladies this is a first for me and under any other circumstances being handcuffed with you three-" Dean started before being cut off by Tatia, "Doppelgängers" she said only to be met with a confused Dean. "Doppelgängers," Dean said slowly trying to remember what the word meant before it finally came to him, "so how many doppelgänger's are there?" he finished scanning his eyes over the three women before him, trying to imagine how many more could be out in the world. "How many of my doppelgängers, or just in general?" Tatia asked pointing to herself as Katherine and the other girl turned to look at her quickly. "Somebody else has a doppleganger?" The middle girl, who was yet to be introduced, asked looking at Katherine. "What no, not at all," Tatia answered quickly. _Liar._ Dean thought but the other two seemed to have bought it.

"What do you want from me if it's not to live out the greatest fantasy I could ever have," Dean asked sarcastically trying to figure out if he could get Sam's attention by talking loud enough for his voice to travel through the walls and into the next room. All three vampires rolled their eyes and shook their heads at him in unison, "And you" he said pointing to the middle girl, "name?" She looked at Tatia before stepping forward with her hand outstretched, "I'm Elena," she said. "He's handcuffed you idiot he can't shake your hand. God you're not human anymore stop with the pleasantries," Katherine said hopping of the desk and swatting Elena's hand away. "Why must the two of you always argue?" Tatia asked rubbing her forehead before throwing her hands down in frustration, "If you hadn't noticed we have a serious problem on our hands," she said motioning at Dean. "I'll just kill him, there problem solved," Katherine said turning to Dean, her beautiful features shifting into the strange vampire face previously worn by Tatia. "Don't you dare, we don't have to obliterate every obstacle before us, violence isn't always the answer," Tatia said putting her hand on Katherine's arm in a warning yet seemingly polite gesture. Elena beamed, "I told you Katherine, there is more to being a vampire than just the kill," she said sincerely while Katherine rolled her eyes again and resumed her place on top of the dresser. "Fine, but if they kill your human-hugging ass don't come crawling to me," she said folding her arms in front of her glaring at Elena, who didn't flinch as she turned to Dean. "I want answers just as much as you do," she said kneeling so they were at eye level, "so what do you say we get your brother, uncuff you, and figure out what the hell is going on?"


	13. Conversations with Dead People

After walking Dean next door to convince Sam to listen to their story, Elena sat on the bed in between both brothers with Katherine still on her dresser as Tatia stood in the center retelling the events that led each group to this point. She filled in her doppelgängers on what happened in New Orleans, and much to both Elena and Katherine's surprise she told the boys about much of their lives. From Katherine's transformation to a vampire in 1492 Bulgaria, meeting and subsequently turning the Salvatore brothers in 1864, and Elena's introduction to the brothers and the supernatural world in 2009 and, her concluding with her death and ultimate vampire transformation. "You mean this whole time you were around, and not once did you think to help us, not with anything?" Elena asked looking up at Tatia with confusion and anger in her eyes, "Think of the lives you could have saved." Tatia sighed pulling a chair to sit across from her, she gave Elena a sad smile and took her hand, as both Winchester's looked away awkwardly. "It was not my place to intervene," she said, "everything that happens in this life has meaning. If I would have intervened back when Katherine lost her daughter or found herself in trouble with the Niklaus, then that could have set off a chain reaction that forever altered history as we know it now," she smiled placing her hand upon Elena's cheek like a mother does to her daughter, "we might not have had you." Standing she turned and walked over to Katherine, "Or you my sweet Katherine, if I had not taken precautions when I had my own run in with Niklaus and the rest of the Mikaelson clan," she said placing both of her hands upon Katherine's face, "You have been so strong, and have endured so much, and I am so very proud to call you mine." And for the first time, Elena saw what she imagined Katherine looked like before she turned, as Katherine smiled softly with tears glistening behind her black lashes, as she nodded her head and looked to the floor, hoping no one saw the tear fall from her cheek.

"I hate to break up the moment," Dean said raising his hand as Katherine and Tatia turned to look at him, "but what about us and everything you said in New Orleans?" Tatia returned to the center of the room, leaving Katherine to collect herself, "I can't stop what is going to happen. I will not interfere in that respect, much like I have chosen to stay out of my girls lives" she said as Elena felt a warm sensation in her chest upon hearing Tatia call her one of her "girls", and for a moment she remembered exactly what it felt like to have her mom and Jenna there with her. "We understand that, but we still have to do something, you said innocent lives were going to be lost," Sam said looking at Tatia and Dean. "How exactly do you know so much?" Elena asked tilting her head to the side. "When you get to be as old as I you make some very powerful friends," Tatia answered making it clear in her tone she wasn't going to elaborate further. "Well that's just great grandma, but we can't just sit on the side lines while bloodsuckers massacre a town," Dean said receiving a death glare from Katherine. "You watch your mouth or I'll rip your tongue out," she said before Tatia raised a hand to silence her. "Please stop threatening to kill each other when we disagree on something," she said turning back to face the boys. She sat there in quiet contemplation as she weighed her options, before Elena spoke up, "Worse comes to worse we can always compel them, they don't have to die," she said softly. "Compel us?" Sam asked looking at his brother confused. "Listen you're going to have to do a lot more than sweet talk me to convince us to leave New Orleans alone," he said turning his gaze to each girl. "That's the other thing," Tatia said turning to her doppelgängers, "they haven't seen vampires like us before."


	14. Carry On My Wayward Son

"What do you mean they haven't seen vampires like us before?" Katherine asked laughing, "famous hunters my ass," she finished. "Hey listen I'll have you know I ganked my fair share of bloodsuckers and other scary things," he said realizing quickly how unmanly that sounded. Sam gave him a look and he shrugged slightly embarrassed recoiling back so he could pretend he didn't just say "other scary things". "I think what Dean means is we have seen a whole hell of a lot, but the way you all transform is very different from every other vampire we have come up against, and no other vampire has been able to control us either" Sam said. "It's because we are direct descendants from the original family," Tatia answered turning to look at both Katherine and Elena, "we haven't 'evolved' so to speak," she finished. "The original family? Sam asked, "as in the original, original family? The alpha?" he finished looking mystified. "Alpha?" Elena asked looking from Sam to Tatia before leaning close to the woman and whispering, "isn't that a werewolf thing?" Tatia put her head in her hands and sighed, "Legends cross, stories change, and people try their hardest to make history with the 'king' title," she said looking up at them all. "So which story is right?" Sam asked looking skeptical. "The one I had to die for," Tatia answered. Dean looked up at the ceiling in contemplation while counting on his fingers, "So seriously that would make you how old again?" he asked. "Don't be cute," Katherine said trying to hide the fact that she was starting to like the older, sarcastic brother. "Sorry sweetheart, the off switch broke a long time ago," he finished winking at her rolling eyes and hidden smile. "Dean, are you really flirting with a girl you've been cursing to hell all day?" Sam asked incredulously shaking his head and laughing as his brother shrugged. "Ahh" he said collecting his breath after his laughing fit, "what a day this has been."

The next morning both groups stood in the parking lot saying their goodbyes. The boys had agreed to stay out of New Orleans as long as Tatia assured them she would keep an eye out for the people and contact them if it got out of control, or they would intervene and come looking for her. Elena had to stand on her toes in order to hug Sam, and when she turned to Dean she realized how she would miss both brothers, that even though they had been her enemy for most of the trip they turned out to be pretty wonderful guys just trying to protect the world, and who can hate them for that? She smiled and gave Dean a hug, and before she could release him he whispered in her ear," Pick the Salvatore who has the cooler car," she couldn't help but shake her head in laughter as she pulled away and saw that he was laughing too. Katherine kissed Sam on the cheek before turning to Dean, whom she hugged and grabbed at his backside causing him to jump, "Hey hey hey," he said jumping back a little at her touch, "at least buy me dinner first." She smirked and said, "Relax sugar, I was returning your gun," as she walked back toward Elena. Dean checked his waist, and sure enough there sat the Colt. "Um, thank you for that, I think," he said shaking his head in approval, casting a weary glance at Sam, "but I'm still pretty sure she copped a feel," he said as Katherine laughed, "in your dreams Winchester." Sam stopped turning to look back at Katherine, "Hey by the way what was the name of that witch you had hex the car?" he asked. Katherine paused for a beat before answering, "Rosenburg. Willow Rosenburg. She's a witch out of California who owed me a favor."

Tatia smiled at the unlikely group of new friends before her, two demon hunter's and three vampire doppelgängers. She couldn't help but feel proud of this step towards comradery among supposed enemies, while also feeling upset because deep down she knew this was going to be the last she saw of them, or at least the last time they saw her for quite some time. She would always watch over them like the guardian angel on the sidelines, but it was up to them to make the choices and the paths their lives would take. "Goodbye my friends," Tatia said as she hugged both boys before they got into their car and drove off, beeping the horn on their Impala as they speed off to meet up with someone named Kevin to defeat an old enemy. She turned to face her girls, the last of the Petrova bloodline, and she embraced them warmly. "My dears," she started, "how I wish we had more time to talk before we have to be separated again," smiling lightly with tears in her eyes. "Must you go?" Katherine asked. "Yeah come to Mystic Falls with us," Elena said nodding her head in a subconscious attempt to convince her to join them. "I'm afraid I have to take care of some things, but we will see each other soon, we have an eternity of adventures before us." She said hugging them one last time before waving them off, and smiling at the women who she considered her daughters, before speeding off into the horizon herself.

Arriving in Mystic Falls in the heart of the night, Katherine pulled up in front of the Salvatore mansion as Elena turned to look at her, "Are you sure you don't want to come inside? I'm sure they would love to hear about this, from the both of us," she said hopefully. Katherine hesitated for a moment, knowing whatever they had shared on this journey stayed there, no matter what they had done or what they had shared, Katherine had done too much damage to ever be welcomed back with open arms, plus she had to worry about Klaus coming to find her. "No that's alright. Give the Salvatore's' a kiss for me won't you, cupcake?" she asked, her sarcastic venomous tone back in full force, as she threw her walls back up. Elena looked down disappointed, but not shocked by Katherine's shut down, nodding she opened the car door, "Katherine, thank you for asking me to join you with this." Katherine nodded, "I'm taking a line out of the Dean Winchester playbook and saying 'no chick flick moments' alright Elena?" before shutting Elena's door herself. She sat there for a while listening to the conversations inside the house, Damon's anger, Jeremy's relief, Caroline's hysterical yelling and Stefan's one word responses to Elena's statements. She smiled sadly realizing again that she was alone, that she had nothing while Elena was inside with all the people she cared about. The bitter envy she had pushed down for so long was threatening to bubble over right then and there until she heard two simple words, "the cure". She looked up trying to hear everything they were saying, _so it's true, _she thought, _Silas, the cure for vampires, all of it? That should be enough to buy my freedom back from Klaus, and finally start living the life I deserve. _She smiled proudly to herself starting the car and casting one last glance at the Salvatore house before speeding off, she had a plane to catch if she wanted to get to the island before they did.

The End.


	15. School's Out for Summer

**School's Out for Summer**

**_The Road so Far_**

**_ Katherine enlisted the help of new vampire Elena, on a quest to save their long lost _**

**_ Petrova doppelgänger, Tatia, from hunters._**

**_ Sam and Dean Winchester met Tatia Petrova on a case in New Orleans, and quickly _**

**_ learned she was a vampire. After she threatened their lives and ordered them to leave town, they went _**

**_ on the offensive and tracked her to New York city._**

**_ Katherine and Elena soon crossed paths with the brothers and raced against each other, with _**

**_ fate leading them both to the same hotel and a confrontation, where the line between _**

**_ vampires and hunters blurred, resulting in friendship, before each party went their _**

**_ separate ways and on to new adventures._**

**_Now_**

"Hey Sammy," Dean yelled from across the bunker. "Want a beer?" Den knew he should be offering his brother water or soup of some kind, but he didn't want Sam to know that he was worried. The trials to close hell were taking a toll on Sam, and Dean felt guilty every time he saw the light behind his brothers eyes fade with each days passing. _That should've been me_, he thought, _I promised Dad I would take care of him, and all I've done was put his life in more danger. _He shook his head to clear his mind. When this was all over, and hell is sealed for good, that's it, the Winchester family business is closed, both of them needed their rest, before it was too late. "No, thanks, Dean." Sam said, his eyes glued to his laptop. "Got anything?" Dean asked casually, while taking inventory of the darkening circles under Sam's eyes. "Nothing much, looks like things are settling down for a change." Dean took a drink of his beer before answering, knowing that the second he did he would jinx their good fortune. "Looks like it." And sure enough, there was a knock on the door.

Sam and Dean looked at each other before getting up to grab their guns. Castiel would just zap his way in, and they had no other friends who would be stopping by for a visit. Dean took the lead, motioning for Sam to stay behind him. He hoped that Sam would take it as Dean was being the protective older brother, but in truth, Dean was afraid that if some big bad was waiting for them behind that door, in Sam's physical sate, he would be in and causing all kinds of trouble in no time. "On a count of three, alright?" Dean asked, getting a nod of approval from Sam. Dean counted on his fingers then swung open the door, keeping his gun hidden just in case it was an innocent. A girl leaned in the doorway, her clothes filthy, and skin covered in dirt. As Dean's eyes traveled up he saw that her hair was unruly and knotted in what looked like two week old curls, with dark circles of her own under her eyes. All in all she made Sam look like he had just come back from a three month vacation with spa included.

The girl lifted her head to smile at the boys she knew all too well. "Miss me sugar?"


End file.
